Former Site of the Rear Society of Ye Chun

Former Site of the Rear Society of Ye Chun

The poetic term “Ye Chun,” widely circulated in Yangzhou’s literary circles, originated from the Hongqiao Teahouse during the Shunzhi era of the early Qing Dynasty. In the spring of the Jiachen year during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Wang Shizhen composed twenty “Ye Chun Quatrains,” which stood out uniquely among the literary works presented at the “Rain Prayer Gathering at Hongqiao.” During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the renowned playwright Kong Shangren inscribed the name “Ye Chun Society.” In the Yiyou year of Emperor Qianlong, the Ye Chun Poetry Society was established, enduring over three hundred years of rise and fall, yet continuing to embody poetic elegance.

During the late Qing Dynasty, scholars and literati in Yangzhou, led by Zang Gu, carried on the tradition of the “Ye Chun Poetry Society” by founding the Rear Society of Ye Chun. At its establishment, the society frequently held elegant poetry gatherings, mostly at Fenglaitang in Huaju Alley on Zuowei Street (now Guangling Road), the South Gate Tower, and Xiyu Chun Tavern at the Drill Ground. In the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915), the Rear Society of Ye Chun was established at Xu Garden, ending its era of having “no fixed address.”

In the tenth year of the Republic of China (1921), Kang Youwei visited Slender West Lake and stayed briefly at the Rear Society of Ye Chun, where he was highly impressed and composed the seven-character regulated poem “On My Second Visit to Yangzhou in the Sixth Month of the Xin You Year, by Kang Nanhai”: The towering walls belong to Yangzhou, where dreams of millennia’s splendor remain unfulfilled. Fragrant grass creeps along the paths of the Sui gardens, and the desolate city is only recognized by Shu Ridge. Renowned gardens fade, unable to share the moonlight, while relics decline, evoking thoughts of the Selection Pavilion. Forty years have passed since my last visit, and the waters of the Han Canal flow endlessly to the south.

To better showcase the cultural heritage of Slender West Lake, in late 2015, the management office of the Slender West Lake Scenic Area, based on records from Wang Zhenshi’s “A Record of Scenic Spots in Yangzhou,” restored the interior scenes of the Former Site of the Rear Society of Ye Chun. This brought the long-hidden site, after a century of vicissitudes, back to life for visitors, enriching the cultural presentation of Slender West Lake. The site includes three exquisitely spacious rooms. The plaque above reads “Retreat of the Rear Society of Ye Chun,” inscribed by Ji Lianggong. A couplet states: “The society retains the name Ye Chun, no need for change; all who come are scholars of literature, worthy of poetic discourse,” written by contemporary calligrapher Jiang Yongyi. Inside, a spirit tablet of Wang Wenzhengong is enshrined, alongside a portrait of him.